Memories and a Fight
by Braich
Summary: ONESHOT.PostHBP. Harry remembers the past and gets into a fight. Major spoilers from all six books. This is my first fanfiction, so please read and review.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the characters. I am just borrowing it to play around.

Chapter 1:

The sky was a dark shade of grey. The weather, cold although it was summer. Dark clouds threatened to pour over Privet Drive. Several small kids were playing catch without a care of the world, or the weather, in the broken park of Privet Drive. A lone young man sat on the only swing still attached in the park, watching them play. How easy it was for them to not be aware of anything evil happening in the world? Someone, somewhere was probably being tortured and murdered at this very moment. As he sat there watching, Harry's mind raced thorugh the events that happened to him starting during the time of his 11th birthday.

He remembered the time he got his first Hogwarts letter to his first ride on the train to Hogwarts, the first time he met his best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. He remebered the events of his first year with the philosopher's stone to the Riddle diary in the chamber of secrets during his second year. He remembered his godfather, Sirius Black, whom he thought was a murderer at first only to find out the truth later. He remembered the short time he had to spend with him before he was murdered at the Department of Mysteries. Most of all, he remembered being told about Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort. How the dark lord had killed his parents but failed to killed him, making Harry a famous wizard. Of the time the Dark Lord rised again at the end of his fourth year and the death of Cedric Diggory. He remembered learning about the prophecy regarding him and Voldermort after Sirius's death. He remembered the most recent events in his sixth year at Hogwarts. The death of a mentor, a guardian and a friend, Albus Dumbledore, now former headmaster of Hogwarts, murdered during an ambush by death eaters at Hogwarts. He remembered the face of the murderer, inch by inch so when he meet him one fine day he can kll him. He remembered the events that led him to that night at the astronomy tower. The memories he watched in a pensive belonging to Dumbledore. He had learnt a horrible truth then. A truth about horcruxes and Voldermort. He shuddered just thiking of that. If one horcrux was terrible, what was seven?

His musings were interrupted by voices coming from a group of boys walking owards the park. The group was led by a huge bulk of a fellow whom Harry recognized as his cousin, Dudley Dursley. The Dursley had had a shock when Haary returned to Privet Drive unannounced. Vernon Dursley was beyond livid at seeing Harry.

"YOU! What are you doing here?? Your school doen't close for a month yet!!!" He had demanded, throwing Hary a look of disgust.

"School's out early this year." said Harry simply and without bothering to explain further he had gone up to his room immediately.

At that time, Dudley had yet to return from Smeltings, so it was only Harry, Petunia and Vernon at home. Somehow, a rumor had gone through the neighborood about Harry beein chucked out from St. Brutus for burning the Science building. How the rumour started, no one knows. The Dursley had of course neglected to correct this rumour. When Dudley had returned from Smeltings, he had been terrified at seeing Harry at Privet Drive before him, but that passed soon. Harry, had been mostly out of the Dursley way and vice versa. He usually was in his room, or most of the time would be sitting at the park like he was at that moment.

As he watched Dudley's gang approached the park, he noticed that the kids had stopped playing catch. They looked scared at seeing the gang knowing what was to come. They started saying their goodbyes to each other before running off home, afraid they might be the next victim of the bullies. However, two of the kids were not so lucky. One of Dudley friends, whom Harry recognized as Polkins, had grabbed them by the collar as they passed. They started pushing them around, calling hem names.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!!" Harry shouted.

The gang surprised at being shouted stopped and look at Harry. They had however not let go of the two kids. Polkins sneered as he saw who shouted at them. Dudley however looked slighly scared but had managed to cover his expression with a smirk.

"Well, well, well!! Look who's here!!" said Polkins. "Say, I heard you burnt down a school building. Is that true?"

"Let them go!!"

"Who? These two?? Nah, I don't think so, Potter!! The fun was just starting!!" said Polkins, laughing along with the whole gang. The two kids were trembling with fear.

"Why don' you pick someone your own size!" said Harry. The anger he had been holding the whole summer was reaching a point of release. He knew it was wrong to let them out on the muggles, but the fact that they were bullies told him to go ahead.

"That's an idea!! I've been wanting to have a go at you for a long tme now. You are after all my favorite punchbag! What do you say, Big D? asked Polkins, rubbing his hands together. Without waiting for an answer, Polkins madeto punch Harry on the face. Harry however dodged the punch using his Quidditch reflexes. Polkins, missing his face stumbled on the ground. "Get hold of him!!" He shouted at the others. But Harry had already goten out of their arms reach beforehand. Another fellow from the gang tried to hit him. Harry ducked and punched him in the stomach.

"Still want a go at me, Polkins?" Harry asked. Unfortunately, he did not see Dudley's fist coming towards him. It hit him right at his jaw. Harry lost his balance and fell to the ground. The gang took advantage of this and started kicking and punching him. The two kids who were held earlier were forgotten. Suddenly, a cry of anguish was heard from the edge of the park. The gang turned towards the sound to see what it was. Harry saw a young man with fiery red hair charging towards them. Behind him, a girl with untidy brown curls was trying to kep up with him. The red-headed man charged at Polkins, tackling him to the ground. Harry took advantage of the situation to kick one of the gang on the bums and punched another at his sides. The girl Harry had kicked Dudley at his shins and Dudley was cowering in pain on the ground.

"Ron! Ron! That's enough!!" Harry cried out.

Ron, who was still punching a bloodied Polkins got hold of Polkins' collar, and hisseded loud enough for everyone to hear, "If I ever catch you hitting another soul, you'll be in hell!!"

Once freed from Ron, Polkins, Dudley and the other gang members scattered away like mice in the opposite direction. They heard Dudley shouting to Harry, "Wait till my mum and dad finds out Harry!!"

"Oh my!! You'll be in trouble now, Harry!!" said Hermione Granger.

"Don't worry about it." said Harry. "Now, what in Merlin's name are you both doing here. I thought we agreed we'll meet at the Burrow after my birthday so you can spend some time with your families??" he asked.

"Change of plans, mate! Good thing too or you'd be pulp now!" said Ron. Harry grinned, wincing in pain from getting beaten up. He was bruised where he was punched and kicked.

"It's not every day a wizard turns off-age Harry. And since, you'll be turning off-age tomorrow, we thought we might as well be here. With you." Said Hermione, smiling.

"Erm...Ginny wanted to come too. But she's one of Fleur's bridesmaids for the wedding." said Ron.

"Oh."

And so, the three friends stayed a little while more, chatting animatedly, at the park until it started to drizzle, before going back to number 4, Privet Drive.

A/N Please read and review.


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